Muyil is an overlooked site about
30 minutes south of Tulum, quite lovely and very photogenic. Its
name is Maya for “place of the rabbits” and is often referred
to by the locals as Chunyaxché (Trunk of the Green Tree) also
the name of a nearby village. The 1926 Mason-Spinden Expedition
is credited with its discovery but Muyil was not excavated until
1987.

Believed to be first settled in the Late Preclassic Period (300
BC – AD 250), Muyil came under the political rule of its larger
neighbor, Cobá and became one of its ports, connected to the sea
by a sacbé (white limestone road). The remains of this 15-foot
wide road finished in the Late-Post Classic period (AD 1250 –
1500) extend from the city to the mangroves and become flooded
during the rainy season.

At its peak Muyil had more temples than Tulum, however only a
handful have been cleared. The Entrance Plaza Group, located near
the entrance
to the site, consist of pyramids built around a plaza. Six of
them are open to visitors. The remains of columns of a doorway
are visible at Structure 6. The most notable site is the remains
of the 56-ft temple-pyramid, El Castillo (the castle) located
at the center of a large patio. During excavations of the Castillo,
jade figurines representing the goddess Ixchel were found scattered
around the base. This find has lead archaeologists to believe
it may have been a site for worshipping the moon (Ixchel is associated
with the moon and the Maya saw the rabbit in the moon rather than
a man). The pyramid suffered damage from Hurricane Gilbert in
1988 and shouldn’t be climbed.

If you follow the trail north to Structure 8, you will find one
of the best-preserved buildings on the site. The base is a terraced
pyramid, topped with a temple. Within this structure is another
temple and below that, a natural cave. The trail east leads to
small shrine and another cave that was used as a source of the
limestone. At the beginning of the century, these stones were
used to build a gum (chicle) plantation that was managed by one
of the leaders of the 1847 War of the Castes. If you continue
through the dense jungle who will come to a deep-blue lagoon where
it is thought Maya traders ran a trade route between the Caribbean
coast and the interior of the Yucatan. There is exceptional bird
watching here but bring your bug spray. Open daily 8 AM to 5 PM.
Admission: $1, free Sundays and holidays. Located on Highway 307,
27 kilometers (16 miles) south of Tulum, 2.5 hours from Cancun.